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Union Members Rally in Washington and Around the Globe to Support Workers Locked Out by Canadian Bro
News from the Communications Workers of America
Washington, D.C. – At a protest and rally outside the Canadian Embassy, union members joined CWA President Larry Cohen, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and TNG-CWA President Linda Foley in calling for fairness for workers who have been locked out by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The union officials also planned to deliver letters to the Embassy calling on the Canadian government to take action to end the lockout and negotiate a fair contract. The rally began at 12:15 outside the Canadian Embassy at 501 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
The Washington event is part of a day of action being held around the world today, Sept. 12, to show solidarity and support for the 5,500 Canadian Media Guild members who have been locked out for 29 days by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
CWA President Larry Cohen said CBC workers were fighting to keep quality jobs and quality broadcasting on the air. "The Canadian Media Guild members are up against a company – funded by the Canadian government -- that wants to turn full-time, quality jobs into temporary work. This would be an outrageous demand coming from a private company. It's completely unacceptable from a public broadcaster," he said.
In his letter to the Canadian ambassador, Cohen called it "shocking that one of the world's leading public broadcasters wants to impose a regime of work so contrary to Canada's long-standing record of social protection and workers' rights that it threatens quality of content and standards of journalism."
Linda Foley, president of TNG-CWA, said the locked out workers had the support of the worldwide labor movement in their fight for a fair contract. "The members of the Newspaper Guild sector and CWA members everywhere are 100 percent behind our sisters and brothers of the Canadian Media Guild as they fight to save the CBC," she said. The CBC workers are on-air, production, technical and administrative staff.
In Britain, union members who work for the British Broadcasting Corporation protested outside BBC World Service headquarters in London. The National Union of Journalists and the broadcasting technicians union urged the BBC to refuse to supply the extra BBC programming that the CBC is airing during the lockout, the International Federation of Journalists reported.
Protests and appeals to the Canadian government also were held in Boston, Mass., as well as Berlin, Brussels, Canberra, Jerusalem, Moscow, Paris, Seoul, Tel Aviv and Tokyo, with union officials worldwide delivering letters to the Canadian embassy calling for an end to the lockout and a fair contract for CMG members.
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Washington, D.C. – At a protest and rally outside the Canadian Embassy, union members joined CWA President Larry Cohen, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and TNG-CWA President Linda Foley in calling for fairness for workers who have been locked out by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The union officials also planned to deliver letters to the Embassy calling on the Canadian government to take action to end the lockout and negotiate a fair contract. The rally began at 12:15 outside the Canadian Embassy at 501 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
The Washington event is part of a day of action being held around the world today, Sept. 12, to show solidarity and support for the 5,500 Canadian Media Guild members who have been locked out for 29 days by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
CWA President Larry Cohen said CBC workers were fighting to keep quality jobs and quality broadcasting on the air. "The Canadian Media Guild members are up against a company – funded by the Canadian government -- that wants to turn full-time, quality jobs into temporary work. This would be an outrageous demand coming from a private company. It's completely unacceptable from a public broadcaster," he said.
In his letter to the Canadian ambassador, Cohen called it "shocking that one of the world's leading public broadcasters wants to impose a regime of work so contrary to Canada's long-standing record of social protection and workers' rights that it threatens quality of content and standards of journalism."
Linda Foley, president of TNG-CWA, said the locked out workers had the support of the worldwide labor movement in their fight for a fair contract. "The members of the Newspaper Guild sector and CWA members everywhere are 100 percent behind our sisters and brothers of the Canadian Media Guild as they fight to save the CBC," she said. The CBC workers are on-air, production, technical and administrative staff.
In Britain, union members who work for the British Broadcasting Corporation protested outside BBC World Service headquarters in London. The National Union of Journalists and the broadcasting technicians union urged the BBC to refuse to supply the extra BBC programming that the CBC is airing during the lockout, the International Federation of Journalists reported.
Protests and appeals to the Canadian government also were held in Boston, Mass., as well as Berlin, Brussels, Canberra, Jerusalem, Moscow, Paris, Seoul, Tel Aviv and Tokyo, with union officials worldwide delivering letters to the Canadian embassy calling for an end to the lockout and a fair contract for CMG members.
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